Where do you see the prices of SSD's going in the next 1 year? Do you think the prices will continue to drop?

I see the prices fluctuating quite ridiculously, especially on hot items like the Crucial M4 and the Samsung 830. I am particularly worried that prices will go up in the next year (maybe paranoia due to the HDD spike).

If prices continue to go down, when do you think prices will hit $0.50/GB?

If you are like me you are watching these prices, afraid to buy an SSD under the impression that the prices will only go down. If you are not like me, you have probably already bit the bullet and gone with one. And you might be pretty pissed if you bought a Samsung 830 6 months ago and missed one of the recent opportunities to nab one at HALF that price.

I can't predict where the prices will go for sure, but I do expect them to keep going down in price. Perhaps not at the rate they have been going down lately, but I do expect them to keep getting cheaper. I would think there has to be a limit to how cheap NAND flash can get at a given process node, but of course they will get smaller and smaller for awhile still.

As for when is the right time to buy one, I'd say the right time to buy one is when you feel it's worth your money. If you wait for computer hardware to get faster/cheaper you'll end up waiting forever, because there's always something better just around the corner. There are exceptions of course, like when you know a new product will be released very soon, but generally speaking you should upgrade whenever you feel like the performance or price is worth it.

I've seen $0.50/GB on some drives already! Not great ones mind you but NewEgg just sent me an email this morning with a promo code+rebate that made the 256GB Agility4 a $130 item. I expected 128GB drives to level out at around $100 for awhile but not if 256GB drives start dropping that low...

The 128GB or so size drives that have recently dropped into the previous price slot of the 64GB drives, about $85-$100, will *again* drop down a price slot. I'm guessing down into $65-$80. When, though. I'm thinking sooner, rather than later. Like in a few months, after Christmas, Jan or Feb at the latest.

Yeah, I assume prices are going to go down. They haven't really slowed down their price decent in several years now. The steady decline will likely continue until they have a technological block of some sort.

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"

travbrad wrote:As for when is the right time to buy one, I'd say the right time to buy one is when you feel it's worth your money. If you wait for computer hardware to get faster/cheaper you'll end up waiting forever

This is right on the money. When I bought my Vertex 3 a year ago, it was twice the price as they are selling for now. THAT'S THE SAME EXACT DRIVE, not even a new generation! Am I sore that I had to spend twice as much for the same drive? Of course, but that's water under the bridge. Do I regret buying an SSD? Absolutely not, and I will never go back.SSDs are the most significant and cost effective upgrade to overall responsiveness of ANY computer with at least a dual core processor. (see here and here for examples) I would have no qualms about buying at their current pricing. 120GB may not seem like much, but when you've only got your OS, Programs, and Games on the SSD, you'd be amazed at how little space they actually consume. Videos/Music/Pictures take up a large portion of storage on any computer.

travbrad wrote:As for when is the right time to buy one, I'd say the right time to buy one is when you feel it's worth your money. If you wait for computer hardware to get faster/cheaper you'll end up waiting forever

This is right on the money. When I bought my Vertex 3 a year ago, it was twice the price as they are selling for now. THAT'S THE SAME EXACT DRIVE, not even a new generation! Am I sore that I had to spend twice as much for the same drive? Of course, but that's water under the bridge. Do I regret buying an SSD? Absolutely not, and I will never go back.SSDs are the most significant and cost effective upgrade to overall responsiveness of ANY computer with at least a dual core processor. (see here and here for examples) I would have no qualms about buying at their current pricing. 120GB may not seem like much, but when you've only got your OS, Programs, and Games on the SSD, you'd be amazed at how little space they actually consume. Videos/Music/Pictures take up a large portion of storage on any computer.

Double correct. 120GB isn't large enough for me (because I have a couple really large games on my drive), but the right time to buy is when they are affordable for your intents and purposes. Personally, I'm planning on timing my SSD upgrade to go right into my next system, as I think the SSD prices will hit the right point around the same time I'd want a hardware overhaul.

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"

The M4 and the 830 are the primo choices right now (other than paying top dollar for Intel). Back in the spring, prices for the midrange sizes were in the $200/128GB and $300/256GB range, and came down to $90-110/128GB and $200-$220/256GB with special sales. Since mid-summer the regular prices have stabilized at those lower price points and a new round of special sales has not appeared, so we can figure on them staying there until the next major round of flash memory improvements.